“We need to be leaving,” Kitty moaned. “Just let her stay here.”
“What is your problem?” Evan turned to her, his voice a little louder than normal. I’d never heard him shout before and I had a feeling that was the closest to shouting that he’d ever get.
His eyes shot daggers at her, and if I was honest, it was a little scary to see that look on his face. Evan was one of those people, the kind that took so long to lose his cool but once he did, he went off like a rocket.
“What? My problem?” Kitty screeched, pointing to her chest.
“Yeah,” he said, leaning closer to her. “You’ve been bitchy for weeks now and it’s all aimed at Kay. What the hell?”
Kitty turned her eyes to me and I smiled softly. Letting her know that it was okay, we all had those off weeks, right? Her eyes turned to Charlie, a conversation going on between them that only they were privy to. He must have silently warned her because you could see the pain in her eyes, completely and utterly shattered. I couldn’t bear to see that look on her face, no matter what had gone on the last few weeks, it was painful to watch.
“You know what?” I pushed back the chair and stood. “It may work better if it was just me and Kitty. You know, two women and all that?”
“But-” Ty said, looking at me with a frown.
I turned my eyes to him, trying to tell him to go with what I was saying. “Us four can go and then you two,” I said. pointing to Charlie and Ty. “Can leave the room when we talk to them.”
Not bothering to wait for an answer, I walked over to kitty and waited until she stood, then linked my arm through hers.
“Kay-”
“Just keep walking,” I whispered out the side of my mouth. She looked at me confused but kept on walking.
Once we were outside, waiting for them, I said. “I don’t know what’s going on Kitty, but I know it’s something to do with Charlie-”
“Kay-” I held my hand up to her and shook my head.
“I don’t need to know.” I raised my brow. “Just know that when you’re ready to talk, I’m here.”
Her body deflated on a breath and she nodded. I could see that she was grateful without her having to say a word, she was just starting to relax when the door opened and they came out. They both had annoyed looks on their faces. Something had clearly gone down when we walked out.
Shrugging my shoulders, I walked over to Ty’s truck and went to open the passenger door when Charlie stopped me.
“In the back.” He tilted his head to the back door.
I looked up at him, his face telling me not to argue with him. “Erm…okay?” I said unsure, stepping to the side.
“Get in the fuckin’ front, Kay,” Ty growled from the opposite side of the truck.
My eyes flew to his and then back to Charlie. They were shooting daggers at each other and I hadn’t got a clue who would come out on top. The back door slammed shut as Kitty got in and I was left there, not knowing who to listen to.
“I’m not sitting in the back,” Charlie huffed. “I’m a grown ass man.”
“And this is my truck and my woman,” he said to Charlie. Bringing his eyes back to me he said, softer this time, “Get in the front, Kay.”
I stood there, unmoving. Charlie stood there, blocking my path, not taking his eyes off his brother.
“Move, Charlie,” Ty gritted out.
Two counts and then he moved, flicking his eyes at me and waving at the door. Once he was in the back, I pulled the door open and jumped up into the passenger side.
The drive to their house was silent and awful, I’d never been so uncomfortable in my life. There was tension between Kitty and Charlie and between Ty and Charlie. Here I was, sat in between them all, not knowing what was going on.
The area we were in was in a run-down part of town, that was a pattern that we’d spotted not long after we got this case. They were all in bad areas and were either in the system or didn’t have very good home lives.
This one was different though, they may have lived in a bad part of town but the girl had lived in the same house all of her life. They never moved around and her mom and dad were still married. Her case was a mystery because there was nothing that linked it to any of the other girls that had been taken.
Other than the area, there was no similarities with this last girl.